10-07-2025
Regional park visits dropped in 2024
Regional parks in the Twin Cities welcomed an estimated 65.7 million visitors in 2024, a 5.4% decrease from 2023.
Why it matters: It was the first year-over-year decrease in visits since the start of the pandemic, when cooped-up Minnesotans flocked to the outdoors.
Yes, but: Some of the decline can be attributed to an increase in severe weather and more rainy days than in 2023, researcher Ismael Ramirez, who coordinates the annual study for the Met Council, said at a meeting this week.
How it works: Staff at 132 regional parks, trails and reserves conduct people counts on random days. The Met Council also collects special event attendance and uses previous years' data.
The counts are used to help divvy up regional funding for parks.
Between the lines: Though park use fell, trail use held steady at around 20 million visits.
The Minnehaha Creek Trail in Minneapolis was the most used, with 2.6 million visits.
Nine Mile Creek Trail in the west metro and Cedar Lake Regional Trail from Minneapolis to Hopkins each had 1 million visits.
